Pixelated: Sculpture by Mike Whiting

Metal sculptures created within the pixelated aesthetic of vintage video games are featured throughout the Gardens’ natural landscapes.

Pixelated explores the relationships between the natural world and the artificial world of digital media. Mike Whiting says “Gardens are in their own way virtual spaces—carefully created environments. The contrast of the sculptures’ geometric and manmade materials can seem at odds with the gardens, but they are connected in the dialogue about the re-presentation of nature.”

Whiting’s sculptures also represent the intersection of two distinct visual styles: 8-bit pixel graphics—which have enjoyed a recent resurgence in games like Minecraft—and minimalist sculpture. Technological limitations in early video games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders reduced the graphics to simplified shapes, while the minimalist art movement created artworks that purposely lacked detail. Pixelated investigates the opposite intents of these two artistic approaches that result in a strikingly similar visual outcome.